Todd Martin's MMA Blog : CBSSports.com Blogs

Post Fight Press Conference

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 1:23:20 EDT

Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker appeared with the Japanese Dream promoter. They both said they would like to continue to share fighters and to co-promote events. Scott Coker reiterated his interest in Shinya Aoki vs. Josh Thomson or Gilbert Melendez and Melvin Manhoef vs. Robbie Lawler.

Mousasi said he felt pressure performing in the US for the first time but his hard training paid off. He said he wanted to keep the fight standing but was ready to take the fight down if necessary. Mousasi said he wants to fight at 205 for 2-3 years, and then eventually move to heavyweight.

Melendez said he had to make some minor adjustments for Ishida from Josh Thomson, but that he felt very well prepared and the fight went as he expected.

Gina Carano vs. Cris Cyborg

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:23:17 EDT

Round 1. Chants for “Gina” as the round begins. She gets a big time superstar reaction. Cyborg moves in with furious punches. Carano clinches and gains top position. Cyborg looks for a heel hook. Carano avoids that. Cyborg gains back and hammers the side of Carano’s head with punches. Carano stands back up. They trade, with Cyborg throwing bombs. They go to the ground, and Carano gains mount. She throws down from mount and the crowd explodes. Cyborg gets up and they clinch. Carano opens up with punches and Cyborg looks more tired. Cyborg fires back with a low kick and straight right, however. They are engaging in the standup with Cyborg moving forward and Carano countering. Cyborg lands a series of nice hooks. Carano fires back with some of her own. This is just a war. They clinch and Cyborg scores the takedown. Cyborg looks for the Americana and it looks like Carano might tap but Carano powers out. Cyborg lands some vicious punches at the end of the round and Carano is just hanging on at the end. The fight is stopped at the close of the round and Cyborg is the winner. That’s as exciting of a round of MMA as you’re ever going to see.

Postfight Press Conference

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 0:13:32 EDT

Stay tuned for information on the press conference in a few minutes.

Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:03:06 EDT

This fight was originally supposed to take place on August 1's Affliction Trilogy card. That show was cancelled, and the fight ended up being moved to Strikeforce. That move was not without controversy, as UFC accused Mousasi's manager from M1 Global of misrepresenting the offer they made him. That's a very serious breach of the manager's fiduciary duty if true.

Mousasi is one of the top 3 or so most accomplished MMA fighters never to have fought in the US. Babalu is a former UFC LHW title contender and a very dangerous ground fighter.

Round 1. Mousasi is pacing down Babalu. Babalu clinches, but Mousasi throws Babalu down and gains side control. That’s a very surprising development. Mousasi throws down furious punches and knocks Babalu out 1 minute into the fight. The camera catches Babalu staring blankly perfectly. Mousasi is the new Strikeforce 205 pound champion. Now that’s the way you make a first impression.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:41:04 EDT

This is a rematch of a fight in Japan. Ishida won the decision in that bout, although I had Melendez winning. It was a close fight. Melendez is the big crowd favorite here, with the crowd booing Ishida.

Round 1. Ishida shoots early but Melendez easily sprawls. Ishida lands a straight left and throws a high kick that’s blocked. Ishida shoots and Melendez defends easily. This crowd is quick to boo. Melendez moves in with some loopy punches that are defended by Ishida. Melendez looks very confident. Melendez catches Ishida with a punch moving in. Ishida grabs a single leg. Melendez defends very well but Ishida eventually gets him down in the corner of the cage and grabs his back. Melendez reverses out and takes Ishida down to big cheers. Ishida tries to lock up a guillotine but doesn’t come close. Melendez isn’t able to do anything with top position as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Melendez.

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Kyle

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:47:47 EDT

Nick Diaz is heavily featured in the pre-show video package. The crowd reacts big to the Cyborg-Carano fight, with Carano getting heavy cheers and Cyborg getting heavy boos.

Werdum is a highly respected BJJ expert and one of the top heayvweight fighters in the world. Kyle is a controversial heavyweight striker who has been charged with an assortment of rules violations over the years. Werdum looks in much better shape than he did for his last fight in the UFC, a loss to Junior Dos Santos.

Round 1. Yuji Shimada is the referee. He does the old rules introduction like in Pride, “no attack groin.” Kyle comes swinging heavy early. He catches a Werdum low kick and looks to land a punch but can’t. Kyle with a left/right combination that looks to give Werdum trouble, but Werdum takes him down. Kyle goes for an armbar but Werdum spins out. They stand back up, and Werdum locks in a guillotine for the submission. This was a good win for Werdum. Kyle showed enough to look dangerous but Werdum finished him quickly anyway with a nice submission.

Lavar Johnson Doing Alright

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:24:40 EDT

Lavar Johnson, a Strikeforce fighter who was shot in a random shooting in July, is here at the show, looking fine and saying that he's doing well.

Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:19:53 EDT

Round 1. Taylor goes for the takedown at the opening. Hieron brushed him aside. Taylor again goes for the takedown. Hieron sprawls nicely and takes top position. Hieron is inactive from the top, but does land a few blows. Hieron thinks about a guillotine but lets it go. The fight is stood up with 30 seconds left in the round, but nothing much happens at the close. 10-9 Hieron.

Round 2. Taylor shoots. Hieron threatens with a guillotine and uses the hold to secure mount. Hieron takes Taylor's back and tries to lock in a rear naked choke. Taylor avoids but Hieron moves into an arm triangle. Taylor escapes that as well. Hieron takes top position but isn’t able to do much so the fight is stood up. Taylor again looks for a takedown. Hieron again blocks and again takes top position. The fight is stood up. Taylor swings wildly but doesn’t land anything. Taylor shoots but again Hieron effectively sprawls. 10-9 Hieron. Taylor’s going to need a miracle in round 3 because it doesn’t appear he can knock out or submit Hieron and he’s down 20-18.

Mike Cook vs. Scott Lighty

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:38:45 EDT

Round 1. Cook moves in with punches. Lighty with a high kick that knocks Cook down and follows with punches that rock Cook further. Lighty follows with kicks and punches from a standing position and Cook appears to still be dazed. Lighty throws a body punch, Cook just buckles and clutches his rib cage and the fight is stopped. Exciting brief fight.

Winner: Scott Lighty, Round 1, TKO.

Cung Le, Bas Rutten, Royce Gracie and Brett Rogers are among those in the front row taking pictures with fans.

David Douglas vs. Justin Wilcox

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:18:22 EDT

Wilcox is an AKA product perhaps best known for a quick submission loss to Mitsuhiro Ishida at the Playboy Mansion last year. Josh Koscheck is in his corner. Douglas is a Cesar Gracie fighter who had a controversial and exciting fight with Malaipet on Showtime last year. Nate Diaz is in his corner.

Round 1. Wilcox goes for a takedown but Douglas gets back up. Douglas lands a series of nasty hooks, but Wilcox has an incredible chin as he is able to survive despite being cracked a number of times. Wilcox takes Douglas down and mounts him. He throws down a series of punches from mount. Wilcox controlled the round but I give it to Douglas because he was really close to finishing the fight and just clocked Wilcox. 10-9 Douglas.

Round 2. Douglas swings wildly and Wilcox takes him down. Wilcox passes guard and gets mount in a hurry. He postures up and opens up with punches. Douglas is just holding on and defending, but to his credit he has been able to avoid taking too much damage. The crowd is even yelling for the fight to be stood up even though Wilcox has mount. Dominant round for Wilcox. 10-9 Wilcox, 19-19.

James Terry vs. Zac Bucia

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:48:22 EDT

Terry comes out to "Smooth Criminal." It's greeted more warmly than "Beat It" was in Philadelphia last week. Imagine, San Jose fans being more tranquil than those in Philly. Big John McCarthy is the referee.

Round 1. Bucia swings and misses with a big high kick. Terry lands a big high kick and folows with rapid fire punches on the ground until McCarthy stops the fight. Impressive finish.

Winner: James Terry, Round 1, TKO.

Alex Trevino vs. Isaiah Hill

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:39:53 EDT

Round 1. Hill has tattoos all across his chest that looks like scripture. Hill with a nice low kick early. Hill throws a superman punch but misses. Hill with the takedown. Trevino reverses and takes top position. Trevino sinks in a guillotine that looks pretty tight but Hill is able to get out and transition into taking Trevino's back. He looks to sink in an RNC. Trevino gets out but Hill mounts him and tries to throw down some punches. Trevino gets up his leg and goes for a heel hook but can't get it. Trevino then moves for a keylock and scores the submission. Hill's arm is hurt. Fun action fight.

Winner: Alex Trevino, Round 1, Submission.

EA Sports MMA Press Conference

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:30:18 EDT

EA Sports held a press conference earlier today to discuss their upcoming EA Sports MMA video game. Randy Couture was there and discussed the game as well. They said that the game is in its second year of development and is scheduled to ship in 2010. They have playable code at this point, but are still working on the motion capture and many other gameplay related issues. Couture said he isn't a gamer, and that his son used to beat him at GoldenEye (an old game for the Nintendo 64 system). EA said that their discussions with UFC about the game took place over 2 years ago and now there are different people in charge at EA. They said there will be no quota for the number of fighters but they are looking to capture many geographical areas. They believe the game can help to get the sport larger. They will alternate the MMA game with their Fight Night boxing series, releasing each title once every two years. They haven't decided on whether the fights will take place in a ring, cage or both. Fedor Emelianenko is not confirmed as the cover athlete, and they haven't decided on that yet. Jay Hieron, Gegard Mousasi and Babalu Sobral are in the game.

Strikeforce Live Blogging Tonight

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:43:08 EDT

We're here live in San Jose for Strikeforce's Carano vs. Cyborg event. Fights are supposed to begin in five minutes or so.

Gina Carano vs. Cris "Cyborg" Santos

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi

Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida

Post Fight Press Conference

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 9:28:55 EDT

17,411 announced attendance. $3.55M gate.

Dana White again put over Anderson Silva as the best pound for pound fighter in the world.

Dana explained Forrest leaving by saying Forrest is emotional and that he hasn't seen Forrest since.

Anderson said Forrest came to fight while Thales Leites didn't, and that was the difference in the two fights.

UFC Lightweight Title B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:15:14 EDT

Round 1. Penn immediately moves in with a punch and Florian backs away. Florian throws a high kick that's blocked. As Florian throws a kick that's blocked, Penn counters with a straight punch that staggers Florian. Penn follows with punches but Florian gets out of trouble. They clinch and separate. Florian is bouncing on the outside and Penn moving forward with power shots, kind of reminiscent of Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson. They clinch again and work dirty boxing. They separate, and Florian looks for a takedown. Penn defends well. Florian with a nice leg kick and now Florian is moving forward. He shoots for a single leg and throws a knee in the process. Penn lands a nice hook and moves in with a flying knee like his fight with Sean Sherk. 10-9 Penn.

Ed Soares Nearly Gets Into Fight with Fan

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 0:20:19 EDT

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva just had to pull Anderson Silva's manager Ed Soares away from diving into the crowd to get into a fight with a fan. An absolutely bizarre scene.

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 5:24:09 EDT

The crowd is heavily behind Griffin, who gets a really big positive reaction. Silva comes in to loud boos although there are cheers mixed in. Silva makes faces as the crowd boos and bows to the crowd. Future NFL Hall of Famer Junior Seau is in Forrest Griffin's corner.

Round 1. "Let's Go Forrest" chants begin as they feel each other out. Forrest throws some leg kicks. Anderson catches one and looks for a big punch, ala the fight with James Irvin. Forrest with a high kick that's blocked. Anderson moves in with a series of hooks. One drops Forrest, but Forrest recovers. Anderson then lands another. Anderson is so much faster than Forrest. Anderson encourages Forrest to throw and then moves in with strikes. He's jabbing, bobbing and weaving, avoids Forrest punches completely, drops him with a punch and looks to finish on the ground. Forrest is back up. Forrest is throwing wild punches but they're totally missing. He throws two big punch attempts that Anderson completely avoids and then he throws a picture perfect counter that drops Forrest for the KO. Anderson Silva just humiliated Griffin. And Griffin runs out of the Octagon to the back. Forrest is booed leaving and Anderson loudly cheered.

Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 0:11:05 EDT

This is a rematch of a truly horrendous stoppage earlier this year.

Round 1. Riley moves in with some punches and kicks. Nelson slips and Riley tries to capitalize with a kick that Nelson blocks. Nelson lands some uppercuts and Riley some overhands. They clinch. Nelson lands a nice left on Riley's chin. Riley goes for a kick and Nelson tries to use it to get a takedown but doesn't succeed. Nelson with a nice combination of kicks but nothing lands hard. Some fans are now chanting for the Eagles. Riley with a knee to the body and misses a kick. Nelson throws a kick that's caught and Riley then throws a kick of his own. Nelson shoots for a takedown but Riley easily blocks the attempt. They clinch at the end of the round. 10-9 Riley.

Johny Henricks vs. Amir Sadollah

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 0:41:23 EDT

Hendricks is a two time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and Sadollah won the Ultimate Fighter. Sadollah has had repeated injuries since then, though, and finally will get back into competition here. Oddly, he weighed in 5 pounds under the welterweight limit yesterday.

Round 1. Sadollah moves in with punches. Hendricks lands a series of uppercuts that stuns Sadollah and referee Dan Miragliotta stops the fight. Sadollah was getting up and the crowd loudly boos the stoppage. I think it was a bad stoppage but not an awful stoppage. Miragliotta is a bad referee in general, however.

Winner: Johny Hendricks, Round 1, TKO.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:57:50 EDT

Grove in the UFC has faced a bunch of strikers. Here, he'll be tested by a expert grappler and we'll see how that style matchup works for him. Grove was in a great ground war with Ed Herman in the final of the Ultimate Fighter season 3.

Tito Ortiz is shown on camera and the live crowd boos vociferously.

Round 1. Almeida immediately closes the distance and clinches. Grove tries to land some punches while Almeida seeks the takedown. Grove avoids it. Grove lands a knee and Almeida again looks to take the fight to the ground. He isn't coming anywhere close. Almeida is persistent and with less than two minutes remaining in the round he finally secures the takedown. Almeida is throwing punches and elbows from within the guard. He then moves into half guard and tries for side control. Grove gets up at that point and Almeida lands some knees as Grove gets back up. Almeida then gets a big slam to send Grove back down with 20 seconds left in the round. 10-9 Almeida.

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Josh Neer

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:32:27 EDT

Randy Couture arrives with an attractive young blonde.

Neither of these guys has much of a fanbase or name, but they always bring it and have great mental toughness.

Round 1. Pellegrino lands a nice straight right to the jaw of Neer. He looks for a takedown. Neer tries for a guillotine on the way down but isn't able to get it as Pellegrino slams him down hard. That's a good sign for Pellegrino, who is likely the better wrestler but who wasn't necessarily going to have as much strength as Neer. Pellegrino with some ground and pound. Neer looks for an armbar but doesn't come close. "Let's Go Kurt" chants. Neer again goes for an armbar, but Pellegrino drops him down on his head twice and returns to ground and pound. Pellegrino looks to secure side control. Neer defends against that. Good round for Pellegrino. 10-9 Pellegrino.

Teenage Wasteland

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:04:23 EDT

Tito's back in the clips. And not just him getting beat up, either!

Arena looks pretty much completely full at the start of the show. Forrest Griffin gets the biggest reaction among the top four fighters.

Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:40:13 EDT

Round 1. McCrory goes for a high kick at the beginning and slips. McCrory lands a series of punches and takes Howard down. He looks for the crucifix position and scrambles into a triangle attempt. Howard escapes and works for some ground and pound inside McCrory's guard. McCrory stands up and lands a nice knee. His reach is giving Howard big problems standing but McCrory goes to clinch. McCrory secures the takedown and looks to land some punches. Howard gets out and and after a scramble takes top position. He does nothing there, however and the referee stands them up. Howard gets a takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 McCrory.

Round 2. Howard gets the takedown very early. He continues to be remarkably inactive. McCrory gets up but Howard takes him down again. In a scramble, Howard looks to lock in a tight modified D'Arce, but McCrory is able to pull out and secure top position. He isn't able to do much there, though. Howard stands up and McCrory looks for a guillotine but Howard slides right out into top position. He just holds McCrory there, however. Howard does try to lock in a heel hook at the end, but can't get it. Pretty dull round. 10-9 Howard.

Alessio Sakara vs. Thales Leites

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:12:55 EDT

All 3 judges had the Villefort-Lennox fight scored even going into the final round, so Villefort may well have won if the final round had finished.

Sakara is a noted striker and Leites a submission guy. This fight is likely to end quickly in one of two ways. They messed up the entrance music, as Leites came out to melodramatic gladiator type music that Sakara usually uses and Sakara came out to "All Star." Leites was singing along to Sakara's entrance. You'll know what happened if Kenny Florian comes out to Hawaiian music.

Round 1. The crowd boos Leites pretty heavily, evidently over his performance against Anderson Silva. Leites looks for takedowns but doesn't come close while Leites looks to land the big blow. Both are kind of hesitant, fearing the other's game. Leites goes for a takedown and gets caught with an elbow going down that stuns him and allows Sakara to get back up. The crowd boos the tentative standup and boos big at the end of the round. Total style clash. Nobody really did anything. 10-10.

Dan Cramer vs. Matt Riddle

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:46:29 EDT

This is the second straight fight between former Ultimate Fighter participants where the loser is likely to be cut. Riddle comes out to "Beat It", which surprisingly (at least to me) gets a mixture of cheers and boos.

Round 1. Cramer clinches, and they struggle for position. After a long battle for position, Riddle takes Cramer down but Cramer locks in a pretty tight guillotine. Riddle slowly pops his way out and the crowd explodes when he finally does. The two biggest reactions tonight have been submission escapes, which to me is a big story. A few years ago the east coast was way behind the west coast in knowledge about the sport of MMA. Not any more. There's a base of people now who get the sport really well. Riddle goes for some ground and pound but doesn't get much. Cramer gets back up and lands a few punches. They clinch again with each man looking for the takedown but nobody is able to secure it. 10-9 Cramer.

George Roop vs. George Sotiropoulos

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:42:32 EDT

Very famous wrestler and former UFC commentator Jeff Blatnick is working the event for the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission, judging and taking the scores from the other judges.

Round 1. Roop goes for a flying kick or knee, which proves to be a dumb move. Sotiropolous uses the opportunity to get an easy takedown. He passes guard and mounts Roop. Roop manages to reverse and standup. On the feet, Sotiropolous stuns him with a punch and looks for a takedown. Sotiropoulous gets Roop down and works into side control. He tries to isolate Roop's arm and then takes Roop's back. Sotiropoulos works to secure an RNC but Roop spins out into a triangle attempt and then an armbar attempt. Sotiropoulos is schooling Roop on the ground. 10-9 Sotiropoulos.

Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:09:05 EDT

Lennox and Villefort are former WEC fighters who were moved over to the UFC. The cowd reacts big to the first entrance of the night, Villefort. The crowd is mostly full already, which is a change from often late arriving Vegas crowds. The only real exceptions are the 100 level concourse seats facing the Octagon, which are noticeably more empty than the rest of the building.

Round 1. The fighters start to feel each other out, and the crowd begins to boo 10 seconds in. This will not be a patient crowd! Villefort lands a right and a leg kick and ducks out. He goes for a knee, and Lennox tries to take him down. Villefort impressively blocks the takedown and takes down Lennox himself. He lands some punches from the standing position and leg kicks from the standing position and then goes to the ground and takes side control. Lennox powers out and they end up back on their feet. Villefort goes for a back elbow and knee but Lennox avoids. Lennox hits a few leg kicks. Villefort goes for a kick that Lennox catches. Villefort throws a nice looking spinning back kick that gets a reaction from the crowd. Lennox moves in with punches. Villefort keeps checking the clock. I'm not sure if he's worried about pacing himself or if that's something he always does or what. Villefort throws another spinning back kick at the end of the round and lands it better. Lennox takes Villefort down at the end and throws a few punches as the round comes to a close. 10-9 Villefort.

Live in Philadelphia

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:23:56 EDT

Fights start in 15-20 minutes.

UFC 101 Tomorrow

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:18:28 EDT

UFC 101 takes place tomorrow, featuring a lightweight title fight and the middleweight champion taking a tough challenge in the light heavyweight division. I'll be in Philadelphia blogging all the evening's events starting at around 7:40PM Eastern. Here's the complete card:

B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks